Arthur Brooks on the 3 Macronutrients of Meaning
I enjoyed this conversation between Arthur Brooks and Tim Ferriss. A key takeaway was Brooks’ insight that there are 3 “macronutrients” to meaning: 1.) Coherence 2.) Purpose 3.) Significance Coherence is about having a philosophy of life. It’s the story you hold about how the world works, why life makes sense generally, and why your […]
The 1 in 10 Rule
The 1 in 10 Rule… While reading “The Courage to be Disliked” almost a decade ago, I discovered an old proverb that has stuck with me since: In any group of ten people, you’ll get on really well with two. You’ll be indifferent about seven of them. And at least one person in the group […]
Clarity Pages
When I’ve got a problem to solve or a new idea I want to bring into the world, I use a variation of Julia Cameron’s “Morning Pages” Method. I should preface this by saying that I don’t know why it works, just that it does work—at least for me. Here’s a brief overview of the […]
19 Questions I’m Using to Reflect on 2025
People assume experience leads to wisdom. It doesn’t. Because if it did, every person over a certain age would end up happy, wealthy, and wise. Experiences only become valuable when we extract the lessons from them. During the year, we’re in constant motion, putting out fires, solving problems, and responding to the demands of daily […]
How to Know if You Really Want Something
You’ve probably heard of: “shiny object syndrome”. This is the idea that we get distracted from our most important work because we get caught up chasing short-term and shallow pursuits. Not only does this term accurately reflect the problem, it also hints at the solution. In particular, the use of the word “shiny” suggests that […]
Your Life is Not About You
3 Big Ideas from The Daimon and the Soul of the West by Bernardo Kastrup The central idea of this book is both simple and counter-cultural: “Your Life is Not About You”. It’s about what nature wants to do through you. What follows is a short summary of three of the main ideas I […]
What is This in Service to Inside of Me?
https://niallmckeever.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/What-is-this-in-service-to-inside-of-me.mp4 I interviewed the legendary Dr. James Hollis last week — one of the world’s leading Jungian analysts. One of my key takeaways was a question Dr Hollis regularly asks himself when he’s doing something: “What is this in service to inside of me?” We live in a society optimised for external appearances, which is […]
How to Start Each Week with Clarity and Focus on What Matters Most (10 Steps)
Overview: The following article contains a step-by-step process you can use to complete a weekly review and each week. This enables you to start each week with a clear focus and ensure your daily activities are aligned with your long term priorities. There are 10 exercises in total. On the weeks when you don’t have […]
Unlocking the Power of a Mission in Your Life and Work
The British rowing team set the goal of winning Gold at the Sydney Olympics in 2000. So, in the years leading up to the event, they had a simple filter for every decision that came their way: “Will this make the boat go faster?” If the choice was between pizza or pasta, they would ask: […]
The Psychology of Winging it Like the Best in the World
Imposter syndrome often prevents us from starting a new project. We think we need a crystal clear, step-by-step plan before moving forward, assuming that “successful” people do have this—and that’s why they’re successful. However, what if we’re “putting the cart before the horse” here? What if the most successful people are actually those who are […]